By Karen Freifeld
NEW YORK, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Los Angeles money manager
Elliott Broidy was spared jail time and a felony conviction on
Monday for his role in a "pay to play" scheme at the New York
state pension fund.
Justice Lewis Bart Stone reduced Broidy's felony to a
misdemeanor and sentenced him to a conditional discharge.
Broidy, 55, admitted making nearly $1 million in gifts for
New York state pension fund officials, including $75,000 in
travel expenses for luxury trips to Israel and Italy. In
exchange, Markstone Capital Partners, a private equity firm
founded by Broidy, received $250 million of pension fund money
to manage.
Broidy had faced up to four years in prison after pleading
guilty in 2009 to rewarding official misconduct, a felony. On
Monday, the judge allowed him to plead guilty instead to
attempting to reward official conduct, a misdemeanor.
Broidy, who cooperated with prosecutors, became "the final
nail in the coffin on those who tried to rip off the system,"
the judge said.
Former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, a Democrat, pleaded
guilty in 2010 to the corruption. The comptroller ran the
pension fund.
Broidy received letters of support from Kenneth Langone,
co-founder of Home Depot, and former New York Governor George
Pataki.
A Republican fundraiser, Broidy was appointed in 2005 to the
U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council, and President George W.
Bush named him to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts.
As part of his original guilty plea, Broidy paid $18 million
to the state in restitution, the management fees his fund
charged the pension fund. He also resigned from Markstone
Partners.
The probe was conducted by former Attorney General Andrew
Cuomo, now the state's governor. Current Attorney General Eric
Schneiderman did not object to the lesser conviction, assistant
attorney general Rachel Doft said.
Hevesi, 72, was the highest-ranking official convicted in
the case. Seven others, including Broidy, pleaded guilty and 21
firms settled probes, paying the state more than $170 million.
Earlier this month, Hevesi was granted parole after serving
19 months behind bars. He had been sentenced to as many as four
years. He is scheduled to be released by Dec. 19.
The case is People of the State of New York v Elliott
Broidy, Superior Court Information No. 5695/2009, New York state
Supreme Court, New York County.
For Broidy: Christopher J. Clark of Latham and Watkins
For New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman: Rachel
Doft
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